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jamesa · Jun 30, 2007, 04:50 AM

hi guys

quick question - does the iphone support bluetooth car kits?

thanks

-- james

icruise · Jun 30, 2007, 04:55 AM

Assuming you mean ones that function as bluetooth headsets, I believe it does.

jamesa · Jun 30, 2007, 07:18 AM

thanks for the reply, but if anyone can confirm it would be most appreciated

-- james

desertmac · Jun 30, 2007, 10:08 AM

That's my question too. One of the posters over at MacRumors got his working in his BMW with no problems.

Mac007 · 11:35 AM

I use a Motorola H350 model and it works just fine except for voice dialing. I think they would have to update the iPhone's software to use that feature. Personally I don't mind as it's not a feature I use much due to it's quirky performance. The iPhone also has a favorites feature where I can keep all my regular contacts available at the touch of a button and that will do just fine.

JohnM15141 · Jun 30, 2007, 12:42 PM

I paired my iPhone with my Garmin 550 Bluetooth Carkit with no trouble.

::maroma:: · Jun 30, 2007, 01:10 PM

[possible ignorant question]Don't these bluetooth hands free car kits act just like bluetooth headsets? So I would assume they'd all work with the iPhone since the iPhone works with bluetooth headsets.

surferboy · Jun 30, 2007, 02:42 PM

Worked seamlessly with my Acura MDX HFL.

UnixMac · Jun 30, 2007, 06:37 PM

Just ordered a BMW X5 4.8i and I am happy to say BMW is the first to announce iPhone compatibility at 100%

click here to see more..

BMW North America, LLC. - BMW North America

spiff72 · Jun 30, 2007, 06:47 PM

I just paired my iPhone with my 2007 Camry Hybrid. It seems to work just fine - paired painlessly. I haven't made a call yet, but the phone's signal strength and battery charge status are displayed on my Nav Screen. My previous phone (Cingular 8125) didn't display these items on the screen.

UnixMac · Jun 30, 2007, 07:59 PM

Here is a pic of the idrive with the iphone..

http://edbmw.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/DSCN0480.jpg

PeterKG · Jun 30, 2007, 09:44 PM

My iPhone paired perfectly with my handsfree BT in my 2007 Prius. It actualy works better because unlike my Motorola Krzr, the BT stays on until you power off the phone, or manually turn it off. So every time I leave the car and return, it pairs back up. It also seems to work better. People had a hard time hearing me hands free on my Krzr. I come in loud and clear on the iPhone.

UnixMac · Jun 30, 2007, 09:45 PM

Originally Posted by JohnM15141

SO what your saying is that if I call 703-836-XXXX* I can talk to Unixmax? Or somebody named AAPA (Main)

* number deleted for security reasons he he!

good catch.. I don't know who's number it is... he must live in the DC area though. I got this off the BMW forums.. My BMW is still 2 weeks away form delivery.

JohnM15141 · Jun 30, 2007, 09:46 PM

SO what your saying is that if I call 703-836-XXXX* I can talk to Unixmax? Or somebody named AAPA (Main)

* number deleted for security reasons he he!

Originally Posted by UnixMac

Here is a pic of the idrive with the iphone..

http://edbmw.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/DSCN0480.jpg

surferboy · Jul 2, 2007, 09:31 PM

I spoke a little soon on the MDX. Calls work great when they are initiated by car. Cannot initiate call from phone. My old Treo did this fine. I am not sure if incoming calls go to HFL or not- I'll have to test.

A little disappointing.

desertmac · Jul 2, 2007, 09:34 PM

Thanks for the update. Can you easily access all the numbers in your iPhone address book from the car, or are there limitations there too?

surferboy · Jul 2, 2007, 09:41 PM

I don't have one of the systems in my car that gives you access to address book. It's a 2006 MDX.

andybrawer · Jul 3, 2007, 12:04 AM

I had the same issue with my cingular 3125 / 2006 MDX - Calls made from the car worked great - but calls initiated from the phone wouldn't connect unless i hit handsfree on 2-3 times. I don't think its an iphone issue - more an MDX issue.

spiff72 · Jul 3, 2007, 07:33 AM

I tried initiating a call from my phone rather than the car's interface (2007 Camry Hybrid), and it worked over the handsfree just fine. I don't think that the iphone supports any kind of phonebook transfer, though.

bcaslis · Jul 3, 2007, 01:30 PM

Works perfectly with my 2006 BMW 330i. I'm thrilled, every single Treo has problems working with it (mostly crashes by the Treo when trying to make calls when connected via bluetooth).

Works perfectly for receiving and dialing calls and transfers the full address book contents.

Love it! Typical Apple attention to details.

Originally Posted by jamesa

hi guys

quick question - does the iphone support bluetooth car kits?

thanks

-- james

::maroma:: · Jul 4, 2007, 03:16 AM

I just tested mine on a Mercedes S550 (not mine, wish it was). Everything seemed to work perfectly. All contacts were present, and we could even voice dial. But I believe that feature is part of the Mercedes system.

surferboy · Jul 4, 2007, 09:12 AM

Interesting to hear people's experiences. I am a little disappointed at how hard it is to initiate a call from the phone on the MDX. With some twisting and girating, you can do it, but it is not predictable. The phone gives you the option to select the bluetooth HFL when you make a call- it just coughs when it tries to connect.

Do the car systems ever update their firmware?

desertmac · Jul 4, 2007, 12:50 PM

Anybody had any luck pairing with a Lexus? I have a 2007 Rx400h; I go through the steps; there appears to be a connection, but then it doesn't take.

zonetuke · Jul 4, 2007, 10:53 PM

I made a call from a Mercedes 2007 ML350 SUV and it worked fine. The address book did not appear, though, as the Mercedes bluetooth system is finicky and most cell phone address books don't appear unless you have a RAZR.

desertmac · Jul 6, 2007, 10:59 AM

Got mine to work in the Lexus 400h. Had to do a soft reset first, but then it worked just fine. All of the numbers I had entered into the Lexus phonebook also stayed active.

G-mac · Jul 8, 2007, 07:02 AM

No problems with my G35 coupe's BT system. After a quick pairing process, things ran smoothly. With my Samsung a900, for some reason the phone never disconnected after ending a call so I'd have to turn the phone off to get the radio to work again. Happily, the iPhone has no such issues tying up the system.

My next step is to pair it with my wife's Garmin - hopefully, no issues there.

namikun · Jul 9, 2007, 02:08 AM

It works fine with our Lexus IS 250. However, the Audi navigation (RNS-E) disconnects every ten minutes.

Firechief · Jul 13, 2007, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by ::maroma::

I just tested mine on a Mercedes S550 (not mine, wish it was). Everything seemed to work perfectly. All contacts were present, and we could even voice dial. But I believe that feature is part of the Mercedes system.

I too tried on a MB S550, paired fine but would not transfer phone contacts? Could you post how you connected so I can see if I can get contacts too.
I wonder if it is a firmware on the MB that might need to be updated. Car is only 8 months old.
Thanks.

::maroma:: · Jul 14, 2007, 01:18 AM

Originally Posted by Firechief

I too tried on a MB S550, paired fine but would not transfer phone contacts? Could you post how you connected so I can see if I can get contacts too.
I wonder if it is a firmware on the MB that might need to be updated. Car is only 8 months old.
Thanks.

We just followed the directions that were in the manual to get it connected. If I remember correctly, I turned Bluetooth to On on the iPhone. Then opened up the middle arm rest compartment thing and pressed the Mercedes logo button for a few seconds until the lights were flashing. It then popped up on the iPhone to pair, and I entered the code found underneath the panel that slides off of that thing the Mercedes logo button is on. It paired and connected, then when we went to the address book in the Mercedes console and it downloaded all the contacts. It took a few minutes. The owner of the car was doing things with the console that I didn't quite follow. He may have gone through some procedure to download the contacts, but I can't recall. He was able to get all his contacts downloaded, all voice commands worked as well.